Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

The SAPD will host a joint press conference on Tuesday regarding the man they arrested for raping and killing a child
October 14, 2019 - Santa Ana - No Comments

The SAPD is going to hold a joint press conference with the OCDA, OC Sheriff’s Department Crime Lab and the California Attorney General’s office regarding the Montebello man, Francisco Javier Lopez, who has been charged with twelve felonies in connection with the 2012 kidnapping and rape of a child, in Santa Ana. The joint press…

Read More…
A 10-year old Hazard Elementary School student took her own life, reportedly due to bullying
October 14, 2019 - Garden Grove, Santa Ana, SAPD - No Comments

A 10-year-old girl in Santa Ana took her own life and police are trying to find out why, according to CBS News. The girl was a fifth grader at Hazard Elementary School, which SAPD police detectives visited on Monday to follow up on reports that the girl was bullied. The girl took her own life…

Read More…
The SAPD is looking for two brothers who disappeared in 1990
October 14, 2019 - Santa Ana, SAPD - No Comments

Bothers Jose Luis Renteria and Martin Valencia Renteria were visiting Santa Ana, CA from El Paso TX. On July 27, 1990 they left in a 1978 Silver Chrysler for Los Angeles from Santa Ana and they have not been seen or heard from since that date. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the Renteria…

Read More…
The SAPD is trying to find a car involved in a hit and run with a bicyclist
October 14, 2019 - Accidents, Bicycles, Crime, Santa Ana, SAPD - No Comments

On October 13th, 2019 at 5:19 am, the victim (bicyclist) was struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Warner Avenue and Main Street. The vehicle briefly stopped then proceeded west on Warner. The victim sustained major head trauma and is in grave condition. A witness described the possible involved vehicle as a 1995-1996 Honda…

Read More…

Bacerra for Ward 4

Google Ad

Orange County Great Park expands education pilot programs

Posted on by Posted in Education, irvine, Orange County, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 3, 2010
CONTACT: JENN STARNES, 949-724-6574

Great Park Expands Education Pilot Programs

Plans call for launching additional workshops and events to benefit the community

IRVINE – The Orange County Great Park Board of Directors received a presentation Thursday, February 25th, on the six Great Park Education Pilot Programs to be expanded this spring. The education programs include visual and environmental arts, history, ecology, agriculture, and health and wellness through workshops and events.

The programs will teach children about science, instruct people how to grow vegetables and educate Park visitors about the historical significance of the Great Park. The programs will bring people together through learning experiences by building on the success of current programming — hundreds of people have attended the natural history and garden workshops that began last fall. Continue reading→

The New Santa Ana blog is a huge success after six months

Posted on by Posted in Blogs, Business, Santa Ana Leave a comment

I started the New Santa Ana blog last year, on September 1.  Through December we averaged less than two hundred visits a day.  But the new year has seen a huge increase in our readership.  We are now averaging closer to 300 visits a day,and over six thousand visits a month, as you can see in the graphic above, according to Sitemeter.  Most blogs our size average only 140 visits a day, according to Google Analytics.

Blogs take time to develop an audience.  We are lucky that we have a very popular sister blog, the Orange Juice, that has helped us build our audience.  The Orange Juice is one of the top-rated political blogs in California.  It was also the very first political blog here in Orange County.  I started the Orange Juice in July, 2003 –  back then we got less than 100 visits a day.  Today the Orange Juice averages over 45,000 visitors a month!

We have added a lot of bloggers to our team here at the New Santa Ana blog, but there is always room for more.  If you work with a non-profit or community organization, we want you on our team!  That way you can post about the great things your non-profit or community organization is up to, here in Santa Ana.  Click here to contact me if you are interested. Continue reading→

Did you know that there are 220 registered sex offenders living in Santa Ana?

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

There are 220 registered sex offenders living in Santa Ana!

I have never looked at the Megan’s Law website until tonight, and I was shocked to find out that 220 registered sex offenders live here in Santa Ana, according to this link.  In fact, 31 of them live in my zip code (92706).

The good news is that it could be worse.  Anaheim has 270 registered sex offenders.  Long Beach has 672 registered sex offenders.   Oakland has 593 registered sex offenders.  And San Diego has 933 registered sex offenders.  All of those cities are comparable in population with Santa Ana.

Nevertheless, this explains at least partially why we have had such a problem with perverts lurking at Santiago Park!  You may recall that a recent undercover operation by the Santa Ana Police Department resulted in the arrest of nine men who were lurking at Santiago Park. Continue reading→

Should State Senator Lou Correa be at all worried about Lucille Kring?

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Elections, Latinos, Lou Correa, Politics, Santa Ana, Vietnamese 5 Comments

In 2006, Lucille Kring couldn’t beat Jon Aiken – how will she beat State Senator Lou Correa?

Republican Lucille Kring, who is a member of the Anaheim City Council, has decided to run against State Senator Lou Correa, over in the 34th State Senate District, which includes Santa Ana and Anaheim.

Kring won a seat on the Anaheim City Council in 2006, defeating incumbent Councilman Richard Chavez.  Bob Hernandez also won a seat on that council in 2006, getting a few more votes than Kring did, according to Smart Voter.  Chavez was damaged by numerous scandals but he still came in just .02% of the vote behind Kring.

Kring ran for Mayor of Anaheim in 2002, losing to Curt Pringle by over 4,000 votes, according to Smart Voter.  And she also won a seat on the Anaheim City Council way back in 1998, when she was the top vote-getter, with 24.8% of the vote, according to Smart Voter.  Back then there were no Latinos in that council race, which tells you that Anaheim has changed a lot over the past decade. Continue reading→

Free graphic design workshops at the Santa Ana Library’s Teen Space

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Literature, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The Santa Ana Public Libraries are hosting free graphic design workshops for young adults, starting everyThursday, as of March 4, at the Newhope branch, from 4 pm to 6 pm.

The Main Library has been hosting these classes every Monday, from  pm to 5:30 pm, since Feb. 1.

This is part of the Santa Ana Public Library Teen Space program.

The workshops will include:

  • How to use a scanner
  • How to use Adobe Photoshop Elements
  • How to edit photographs
  • and how to create posters, collage art pieces and book covers

For more information please call 714-647-6913. The Teen Space center at the Main Library is in their basement. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Zoo celebrates its 58th Birthday this weekend

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Education, Entertainment, Latinos, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

On Saturday, March 6th & Sunday, March 7th, the Santa Ana Zoo, home of the 50 monkeys, located at 1801 E. Chestnut Ave, is excited to celebrate its 58th birthday. The activities will take place from 11:00am-2:00pm, and the event is FREE with the price of admission for general public and FREE for Members.

There will be crafts, animal presentations, cake (first come, first served), entertainment, music, a spectacular modular train display by Del Oro Pacific Railroad Club and so much more! It’s going to be the wildest birthday bash of the year and it’s practically in your back yard. This is one party you won’t want to miss! Conservation Carrousel and Zoofari Express Train Rides will be available for $3 each, and combo tickets for $5 each. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Parks and Rec Director Mouet improving service despite budget crisis

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Santa Ana, Sports, Youth Activities 1 Comment

Make no mistake about it – the City of Santa Ana is flat broke. “City departments from police to parks have once again begun searching their budgets for places to cut as the city stares down a shortfall of as much as $25 million,” according to the O.C. Register.

With that in mind, I met today with Gerardo Mouet, the Director of Santa Ana’s Parks, Recreation and Community Servces Agency, which includes the Santa Ana Zoo and the Santa Ana Public Library. We met to discuss my proposal for a dog park at Santiago Park, but ended up talking about a wide range of issues.

First the good news. Mouet is a very creative administrator, with many years of experience at City Hall. He even served as a deputy to City Manager Dave Ream. So Mouet is not without resources and he has done a lot to improve service to our residents even as he as slashed his agency’s budget to the bone.

Now the bad news. Mouet’s department is down to 77 full time employees. In the year 2004, his department had 142 full time employees! What this means is that his department spends $49 per capita, while cities of comparable size, such as Oakland, spend anywhere from $68 to $102 per capita. And Oakland still employs 204 full time workers in their parks and recreation department. Continue reading→

Olive Crest Safe Families program results in a happy ending at Saddleback Church

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Churches and Religion, homeless, Housing, Orange County, Santa Ana, Women, Working Families 1 Comment

A BRAND-NEW “BLIND SIDE” STORY TAKES PLACE IN THE O.C., AS OLIVE CREST’S SAFE FAMILIES PROGRAM BRINGS TOGETHER
A FAMILY IN NEED WITH A FAMILY WHO CARES

The Sheffield Family of East Orange, Members of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, Take in 17-Year-Old “Kyle” During a Time of Temporary Crisis

SANTA ANA – It sounds like a re-creation of “The Blind Side,” the Oscar-nominated Sandra Bullock film about a wealthy Memphis family that takes in a homeless teen (and outstanding athlete) from the wrong side of town. But in this case, the story is unfolding right in Orange County, California—and the teen’s mom is not a drug addict, as in the film, but a devoted single parent who wants the best for her son, even if for the moment she can’t provide it herself.

In the West Coast “Blind Side” story, Chrissy and Peter Sheffield of East Orange fill the roles played by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw in the film. Before this all began, the Sheffields already had a full life and a full house. They own and run Platinum Container, Inc. in La Habra. They’re busy raising three kids: 18-year-old Tony, who attends Santiago Community College; 11-year-old Mia; and six-year-old Nate. They attend Saddleback Church, and take to heart pastor Rick Warren’s mandate: “You want to see it, then be it.”

So when the Sheffields learned about the Safe Families program coordinated by Olive Crest of Santa Ana, they knew they wanted to “see it” at Saddleback Church—and that they would “be it” by becoming a Safe Family and opening their home to a family in crisis. Continue reading→

County of Orange to conduct a nuclear decon exercise tomorrow at the OC Fairgrounds

Posted on by Posted in Costa Mesa, Orange County, Public Safety Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2010

Contact: Howard Sutter 714.834.6203 office

ORANGE COUNTY TO CONDUCT RECEPTION AND DECONTAMINATION CENTER EXERCISE AT THE OC FAIR AND EVENTS CENTER

(Santa Ana, CA) — On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Management Bureau, in coordination with the Orange County Health Care Agency and the City of Costa Mesa, will conduct a San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Reception and Decontamination Center Exercise at the OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. The three hour exercise will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. and is not open to the public.

The exercise will test the County’s ability to manage individuals relocating from the 10 mile radius SONGS Emergency Planning Zone. On-site activities will include registration, monitoring, and simulated decontamination procedures. The exercise is a “dress rehearsal” for a federally graded exercise that will be conducted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Continue reading→

Why is Tan Nguyen running for the 47th Congressional District again?

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Elections, Garden Grove, Loretta Sanchez, Politics, Santa Ana, Vietnamese 7 Comments

Why is Tan Nguyen running for the 47th Congressional District again?

The news broke a week ago that he was running. His entry into the race will make it even harder for Van Tran and Quang Pham to prevail over Anaheim Union High School Trustee Katherine Smith, in the now very crowded GOP primary.

Tran ally Tim Whitacre is close to Tan. Whitacre was able to convince Tan to appoint another of his friends, former SAUSD Trustee Rosie Avila, as Tan’s alternate on the OC GOP Central Committee. Whitacre may be the only one who can shed light on Tan’s renewed interest in Congress. Continue reading→

Will Alfredo Amezcua turn out to be another Miguel Pulido?

Posted on by Posted in Banking, Civic Affairs, Democratic Party, Elections, Latinos, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, Taxes 13 Comments

I met with Alfredo Amezcua before he announced his campaign for Mayor of Santa Ana. I was really hoping he would be the answer to defeating the incumbent Mayor, Miguel Pulido.

In the next few months, Mayor Miguel Pulido’s allies will tear into Amezcua and leave him destroyed.  That is what they did to Pulido’s last mayoral opponent, Michele Martinez, in 2008.

However, Amezcua isn’t really a bad guy.  Is he the solution to our city’s vast problems?  After further review, I don’t think so.  My fear is that he is going to turn out to be a lot like Pulido.

Pulido isn’t a bad guy either.  Like Amezcua, he grew up wanting more.  Amezcua became wealthy as a lawyer, while Pulido took a different road.  He capitalized on his dad’s muffler shop, then began to work the system, first as a Councilman and now as our Mayor. Continue reading→

SAPD DUI checkpoint at Rosita Park was a waste of taxpayer money

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, immigration, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Miguel Pulido, Public Safety, Santa Ana 10 Comments

The Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) proceeded with their DUI checkpoint tonight, at Rosita Park, over by Newhope and Hazard. I visited the checkpoint at about 9:30 pm. There were about ten cops there and a lot of vehicles and equipment.

I brought my camera and took pictures and shot some video. As I approached the mobile blood testing unit, one of the cops actually started taking pictures of me! I could not believe it. I showed my press pass to the guy in charge, who introduced himself. I told him that I am meeting with SAPD Chief Paul Walters next Tuesday, which is true, and that I had advised him that I might be visting the checkpoint tonight.

One of the cops, who sported a greasy pompadour, kept mad-dogging me the entire time. He did not even try to hide his anger that I was there. They all appeared to be white guys.

The fellow I spoke to said that they had only impounded one car, after starting the checkpoint at 7:30 pm. Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream isn’t going to like that! Cities make a lot of money impounding cars driven by immigrants, but our efforts likely blew it for Ream tonight. Continue reading→

Pulido’s allies launch a lame attack on Alfredo Amezcua

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Democratic Party, Elections, Latinos, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Two of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s friends ran an ad today in Rumores newspaper, which is published by yet another Pulido ally, attacking Pulido’s opponent, attorney Alfredo Amezcua, as reported in the O.C. Register.

Rumores is one of several Spanish language newspapers in town that are not home delivered.  You have to go pick it up at local stores. 

Rumores is such a rinky dink product that the publisher doesn’t even have a website!  That might be a good thing as this is not a great newspaper to begin with.

The ad , which includes a banner that reads “Victim of the Week,” attacks Amezcua, indicating that two of his clients paid him thirty grand, but he ended up dropping their case.  The clients are not named.  As far as attacks go, this is pretty tame and, like Rumores, pretty lame. Continue reading→

Teens in Santa Ana need dresses for prom

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Santa Ana, Women Leave a comment

A number of local community organizations are leading an effort to help turn the prom dreams of more than 300 deserving teens into reality through the third annual Belle of the Ball event on Sat., March 27, 2010.

They have 400 dresses but still need 300 more to meet their goal.

They ask that our readers please donate today to help Girls Incorporated of Orange County, Orangewood Children’s Foundation, Orange Coast College, and Women Helping Women (WHW) give these young women the opportunity to shop for their dream dress absolutely free. In addition, the girls will be participating in workshops about healthy body image and stress management.

All sizes are greatly appreciated. Dress sizes 14 and above are especially needed. All donations are tax deductible and can be dropped off at the following locations: Continue reading→